Family structure, social capital, and mental health disparities among Canadian mothers

Relationship between household composition and intergenerational post-disaster mental health in two-parent families: Evidence from Japan

BACKGROUND

Previous literature has neglected the effect of household composition on mental health, especially in the context of post-disaster recovery.

METHODS

Open access data from the 2015 Social Survey on Living and Disaster Recovery (SSLDR) in Japan are used. A total of 689 respondents (346 from Fukushima and 343 from Sendai) made up of people living in two-parent families are examined in the current study. Pearson's Chi-square Test and ANOVA are applied to assess the differences between four groups: Fukushima parent generation, Fukushima child generation, Sendai parent generation, and Sendai child generation. The method of multiple linear regression is used to explore the association factors of intergenerational mental health in two city sites, respectively.

RESULTS

Fukushima child generation tended to have the worst mental health status. In two city sites, the child generation tended to have a less degree of neighborhood connectedness than those in the parent generation. Variables of household composition, daily worries, and gender have significant associations with mental health in either two cities or one of them.

LIMITATIONS

The 2015 SSLDR datasets were collected by means of investigation through a series of questionnaires. Errors may exist if the respondents did not honestly or fully report their household composition. And there is some complexity in some attempted analysis models that is not fully included in the imputation model.

CONCLUSION

Household composition has significant association with intergenerational mental health in the context of post-disaster recovery. Our results highlight the need to look for appropriate and targeted supporting mechanisms.

Do preterm infants with a birth weight ≤1250 g born to single-parent families have poorer neurodevelopmental outcomes at age 3 than those born to two-parent families?

OBJECTIVE

Investigate neurodevelopmental outcomes at 3 years corrected age in infants with a birth weight ≤1250 g born to single parents.

STUDY DESIGN

Infants born between 1995 and 2010 with a birth weight ≤1250 g were considered eligible. Primary outcome was neurodevelopmental impairment; considered present if a child had any of the following: cerebral palsy, cognitive delay, visual impairment, or deafness/neurosensory hearing impairment. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed.

RESULT

A total of 1900 infants were eligible for inclusion. Follow-up data were available for 1395; 88 were born to a single parent. Infants in the single-parent group had higher mortality (18% vs. 11%, p = 0.009), IQ ≥1 SD below the mean (40% vs. 21%, p = 0.001) and any neurodevelopmental impairment (47% vs. 29%, p = 0.003). Single-parent family status, maternal education, bronchopulmonary dysplasia and severe neurological injury were significant predictors of intellectual impairment at 3 years corrected age.

CONCLUSION

Preterm infants with a birth weight ≤1250 g born to single parents at birth have poorer intellectual functioning at 3 years corrected age.

Health of mothers of young children in Canada: identifying dimensions of inequality based on socio-economic position, partnership status, race, and region

OBJECTIVES

Little is known about the nature of health inequalities present among women who are mothers of young children in Canada. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to identify dimensions of inequalities based on socio-economic position, race, partner status, and region and determine whether each type of inequality is independent of another.

METHODS

Data are from the 2014 Canadian Community Health Survey. Women identifying as a parent living with a child ≤ 5 years, with complete data on the variables of interest, were selected (n = 2656). Poor health was defined as the presence of two or more chronic conditions. Exposures included partner status, education level, race, income, and region (Québec vs. rest of Canada). Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of poor health according to each exposure unadjusted and adjusted for all other exposures. All analyses controlled for age and employment status.

RESULTS

In the fully adjusted model, among mothers of young children, the odds of poor health were significantly higher among non-white identifying (OR = 1.72; 95% CI = 1.34-2.21) and lone mothers (OR = 1.80; 95% CI = 1.35-2.39), but were significantly lower among those with higher incomes (OR[per decile] = 0.86; 95% CI = 0.82-0.90) and those from Québec (vs. the rest of Canada; OR = 0.50; 95% CI = 0.38-0.67).

CONCLUSIONS

Living in Québec compared to elsewhere in Canada appears to protect against poor health among mothers of young children. Regardless of region, health inequalities exist by socio-economic position, race, and partnership status. These findings have implications for public health programs and policies, such as universal child care.

The effects of family structure and function on mental health during China's transition: a cross-sectional analysis

BACKGROUND

Social change, intensified by industrialization and globalization, has not only changed people's work lives but also their personal lives, especially in developing countries. The aim of this study was to provide evidence and recommendations regarding family structure, function, and mental health to actively respond to rapid social change.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted face-to-face and door-to-door from July 2011 to September 2012 in Hubei Province, central China. Family structure comprised alone, couple, nuclear family, and extended family; family function was measured using the family APGAR (Adaptation, Partnership, Growth, Affection, and Resolve) scale, and mental health was measured using the Chinese version of the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12).

RESULTS

The urban-vs-rural difference of family structure among alone, couple, nuclear family, and extended family was statistically significant (5.21% vs 4.62%; 27.36% vs 13.14%; 33.22% vs 27.74%; 34.20% vs 54.50%, respectively; p < 0.0001); and those difference of family function was not statistically significant (8.11 ± 2.13 vs 8.09 ± 2.27, p = 0.9372). The general linear regression showed that the effect of family structure on mental health, whether urban or rural, was not significant, however, the effect of family function was significant, especially regarding better family functioning with better mental health.

CONCLUSIONS

Combined the effects of family structure and function on mental health, the external form of family (family structure) may not be important; while the internal quality of role (family function) might be key. Improving the residents' family function would be a priority strategy for family practice with their mental health.

The relationship between raising a child with a disability and the mental health of mothers compared to raising a child without disability in japan

Objective

Previous studies conducted in Japan targeted only mothers who cared for children with disabilities, and lacked reference subjects, such as mothers of children without disabilities. The aim of this study was to examine the association between raising one or two children with a disability and maternal psychological distress compared to mothers of children without a disability, and to assess differences among partnered mothers living with grandparent(s), partnered mothers without grandparent(s), and single mothers.

Methods

This study utilized data from the Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions (CSLC) in 2010. We merged the data of the children (aged six and over), mothers, and fathers. This study obtained 33,739 study subjects as a triad of a child (33,110 children without disabilities and 629 children with disabilities), mother, and father. The Japanese version of Kessler 6 (K6) was used to assess the psychological distress of mothers. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to assess the independent association of a child with a disability on maternal psychological distress after controlling for the basic characteristics of the children, mothers, and households.

Results

This study reported that raising one or two children with disabilities was significantly related to maternal psychological distress (odds ratio: 1.72 for one child, 2.85 for two children) compared to mothers of children without disability. After stratifying the analyses by family structure, significant associations remained among mothers in two-parent families but not for mothers in three-generation families and single mothers due to a small number of children with disabilities in these families.

Conclusions

This study reported the significant association between raising a child with a disability and maternal psychological distress in comparison to mothers of children without disabilities. Attention should be paid to not only single mothers, but also partnered mothers in two-parent families who have a child with a disability. It is important for health professionals to focus on the mental health of every mother of a child with a disability and to assess their needs for psychological support.

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This study examined the association between raising a child with a disability and maternal psychological distress.

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We compared differences among mothers of child with or without disability using a population-based survey.

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Raising one or two children with a disability had a significant association with maternal psychological distress.

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Significant associations remained among mothers in only two-parent families.

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It is important for health professionals to focus on mental health of every mother of child with a disability.